The Chronicles of Root beer
by Kaminari Wolfblood
Summary: The Gorillaz find themselves with a new guest. How will he adjust? First fanfic, take it easy. OC,AU,OOC
1. Chapter 1

_** This is my first fanfic. Feel free to review, but if you flame, keep it simple. Nobody likes ranting. And obviously I do not own the gorillaz, and chances are I won't during my lifetime.**_

**-Chapter 1-**

"Come on, hurry up!" Red and black eyes watched for a sign of the gang's toady. He would be the first to spot him, and if that happened, Root beer was dead. The boy's real name wasn't Root beer, but his initials were A.W., and it kind of stuck.

"Hey, you okay?" He looked up to see his friend Kim. The side of his face was still bloody from the last encounter with the Skulls gang, and it was messing with his vision. He nodded, but in all honesty, it was a miracle he could even move. He was a tough kid, but he had taken one heck of a beating. He smiled a bit at the memory of taking out at least five of them before they trapped him in a corner. Shaking his head clear, he took off at a run again.

"Hey, lookie who I found." Jack, a.k.a. the Toady, emerged from the front end of the alley. On the other end was the rest of the group. Root beer realized what they were doing. He had seen an animal show where the lions tried to catch a gazelle by having the male lion stand on one end. If the gazelle would have gone towards the lion, it could have outmaneuvered and got away. Instead, the gazelle ran away, only to be torn to shreds by the females. In this case, Jack was the lion, and Root beer was the gazelle. He knew that Kim wouldn't leave him so he ran towards Jack. Halfway there he saw an open door. Jack suddenly realized it too and ran for it. Root beer got there first. He shoved Kim in and closed the door, knowing she could get away and she would eventually get back to him. Jack grabbed him and punched him in the gut.

"You caused us a lot of problems kid." A second punch made stars erupt into his vision.

"You know we spent forever trying to steal that dog, and you just decide to give him back. Did you even think about our feelings?" He shot a fist towards Root beer's face, but it was blocked. Root beer slipped out of the bigger guy's grip. While he may not be able to take out a whole group, he had no trouble in a one-on-one fight. He completely knocked Jack out in three seconds, but then the Skulls caught up to him. He charged and took out a couple, but pretty soon he was down, combinations of fists, knees, and feet hammering into his body. He didn't cry out, he just took it.

"Hey, what do you think you are doing," a girl's voice cried out. He couldn't see through all the blood on his face, but he could tell she wasn't from around Richmond.

"What's it look like miss? We're teaching him a lesson." The guys laughed.

"Oh, and what did he do? Maybe I should help." Root beer heard this and desperately tried to run, but he couldn't move.

"Nothing, just messed up our money. Had to play the hero and give back a very expensive dog." Suddenly the sweet voice had a hard edge to it.

"So why is this a problem?"

"Are you crazy lady? It took three weeks to steal that dog!" Suddenly, Aries heard a sharp intake of breath, and then the sounds of a fight.

"Leave her alone," he yelled. "She isn't part of this." A breeze made its way to his face.

"You're funny. Can't you see I'm the only one standing?" Root beer shook his head.

"I can't see anything." She laughed.

"I know you're not blind, I saw you fighting." He felt her lift his face up, blood covering most of it. Her face turned red at the sight, but she managed to stay calm.

"Where are your parents?" Again he shook his head.

"I don't have any." She brought him to his feet.

"Well, whats your name?"

"Root beer." She laughed lightly. "Root beer?"

"Well, my real name is Aries Wolfblood. The initials make A and W, so my friend called me Root beer, and it stuck."

"You have a lot of weird names. Well Aries-kun, how would you like to come wit me." He nodded.

"Okay, but can I ask you a question?"

"Hai."

"What is your name?"

"Oh, I'm Noodle."


	2. Chapter 2

_**Sorry, it's testing time, so I couldn't work on this like I really want to.**__**Going at it again. I know this story starts out kinda slow, but I gotta start somewhere. Still getting used to this. Oh, and before some of you guys try to stone me, Root beer is 8 at the time. He's still clean. Also, I'm having a bit of trouble with how everyone should sound, so they will be OOC for now. Sorry. Anyway, From Root beer's POV**_

**-Chapter 2-**

"Owwwie!" My head was throbbing like crazy. I opened my eyes, and almost had them burned out of my skull. I guess I fainted because I was in a room that I had never seen before. A thumping sound suddenly came from my door. Pretty soon, I heard a growling sound and then more banging. I opened it and found this really ugly guy with green skin. Before I could say anything, he hit me in the face. I grabbed him and flipped him face first into the wall before I could even think about it.

"Where's the dullard an' who the hell are you," the man shouted angrily. I was watching the upside down cross and thought I'd try to make up for smashing him face first into the wall by fixing it. Instead of being thankful, he started ranting and yelling something about satanists. As he yelled, a big thud echoed through the hall, followed by very big footsteps. A giant man walked out and stared straight at me, his eyes a pure white color, and to be honest, I almost wet my pants.

"Hey Muds, who is this kid?" I have to admit, I accidentally snickered at his name. He turned red and grabbed my collar. Again, before my brain had a chance to catch up, Muds was on the ground in pain. The giant laughed at this, then stopped when he looked closer at me.

"Yo, kid. How'd you get in here past all the zombies?" Just like that, my heart stopped beating. It's kind of embarrassing, but the one thing I'm scared of more than anything else is zombies. I guess it showed because his voice sounded a bit more concerned than before.

"Hey kid, are you okay? You don't look so good." When I gave no response, he turned to Muds, who had just gotten up, his nose bleeding all over.

"Murdoc, help me get this kid to the hospital." The satanist looked at me and growled. I noticed he had really ugly teeth, but I didn't say anything. I just filed it away under information needed for later, along with the fact that his name was actually Murdoc, not Muds.

"I've got a better idea. Maybe we should throw him outside and let the zombies play with him." Suddenly, my body remembered it worked, and I ran down the hall into a dark room. Quickly shutting the door, I pushed against the door as Murdoc laughed and tried to force his way in. Quickly I figured out I wasn't winning this fight, so I ran under the bed and hid..

With a crash, Murdoc burst through and slammed into a wall for the third time that day. Cursing, he went and flicked a switch. The light flickered and then a small pop made it go dark again. I silently thanked God and stayed deep under the bed. The sound of Murdoc's feet dragging across the floor made my breath slow to almost the point of not breathing at all. Suddenly, I heard Murdoc chuckle.

"I found you," he said evilly. For a minute, it was quiet, then the sound of a door being ripped open and a bump as something hit the floor ended that. Curious, I turned just a little bit to see what it was. I just barely was able to keep from gasping as two black pits met my sight. As we sat there staring at each other, I coulda swore he winked at me.

"Oh, its just you Face-ache. I shoulda guessed you'd be hiding in the closet. Where is the kid?" Face-ache looked up, and made his face look like he wasn't entirely there.

"Wha' kid? Teh only people 'ere is me an' you." With that one sentence, I decided to trust him. Suddenly, his face screwed up in pain as Murdoc beat the crap out of him. Even during the beating, he signaled for me to run. I was about to, but seeing his face, I couldn't. Slipping out quietly, I snuck up on the green-skinned bully and tackled him. He was caught off guard, but I could tell I had really ticked him off. I grabbed the blue-haired man and pulled him into the hallway, running as fast as I could. When we reached the end of the hallway, it broke into two different directions.

"Quick, let's split up. I'll go this way, you head down there." He nodded and took off, his long legs quickly taking him away. Suddenly Muds burst into the hallway, and zeroed in on me. Just like that, I was running as fast as Dullard, and Murdoc was coming at me like a savage bull. I turned a corner, only to hit a dead end. As his footsteps grew closer, I threw open one of the five doors in the short hall. Slamming it shut, I started tried to catch my breath. Then I heard it, the sound of a shower. I turned too see a showering room like the ones at the Y. My heart dropped. Then, to make it worse, the door opened.

"I found you. You can't run away this time you brat." A creepy laugh followed as his strange salmon colored eyes glared at me. I backed away slowly, but I tripped over a pair of shoes. Swinging wildly, I tried to stay up, but I fell into a shower curtain. A surprised yelp came from inside the shower.

"Aries-kun, what are you doing in here?" I was getting up when I heard that voice, and it almost made me slip again. I turned, wanting to finally able to see my new hero.

"Noodle?" A pretty girl with long hair and green eyes stared back at me, a pair of waterproof earphones hanging down the side of her face. Then, my eyes widened as I remembered where I was.

"Oh, Noodle!" I curled into a ball. "Please, I'm sorry. It was an accident. Don't hit me please. I didn't mean to interrupt." I had accidentally seen Kim naked once, and she hit me so hard I couldn't breath. Before she could say anything else, Murdoc had appeared in the opening. Suddenly, she didn't look surprised anymore, just angry..

"Murdoc-san, what the hell are you doing in here?" His jaw dropped as he just stared at Noodle. Maybe he was frozen too long because she turned red at kicked him out of her shower and into the one across the aisle. I'm not sure, but I think he went unconscious. Then she looked at me. I was scared stiff, so I suddenly just blurted out everything that happened and started asking for her to believe me and not hit me. At some point, she started laughing. I looked up confused, which made her laugh more.

"I'm not going to hit you Aries-kun. I believe you." The relief on my face must have been very obvious. Out of nowhere, my stomach roared. She looked a little concerned.

"You didn't eat, did you?" I shook my head, which was starting to hurt again. She smiled at me and said she'd get me some food after she was done.

"But for now, you need to wait outside." I walked out into the hallway, but not before I thanked her and dragged Murdoc out with me. Sitting in the hallway, I heard her singing and smiled.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Again, sorry about the wait. Things are really not going as good as they could. Due to a computer virus**_(-_-)_**, the times in between the new chapters will be a little longer. But, for now, Chapter 3-The filler that actually is needed! **_

_**Disclaimer- Didn't own Gorrilaz in chapter 1 or 2, so there should be a pretty definite pattern developing here. **_

"Aries-kun. Wake up," a sing-song voice commanded. He opened his eyes slowly to find a very happy Noodle poking him in the hallway. Turning slightly, he noticed Murdoc was gone before he felt a finger in his side.

"Okay, okay, stop. I'm up," he said groggily. She laughed.

"You don't look awake to me." She started poking him again.

"Hey, come on, knock it off," he complained, but his voice just made her want to poke him more. Suddenly she fell over laughing, and Aries looked up to find Noodle being tickled by the blue-haired man from before.

"2-D, that's not fair!" She tried to escape, but his long arms caught her again.

"Sorry love, but you're messin' wif me new friend here."

"Cut it out!"

"Alright, but only if you say I'm teh greatest singer that eva lived."

"Oh 2D, come on!" Tears were running down her face by this point.

"Say it!" The tickling continued.

"2D is the best singer that ever lived," she mumbled quietly. Aries shook his head, knowing what was surely about to happen next.

Whud you say, love? I couldn't 'ear you." 2D redoubled his efforts mercilessly.

"2D-kun is the greatest singer that ever lived!" She shouted loud enough for even the zombies outside to freeze for a second. Suddenly another loud voice came ringing throughout the building.

"Baby girl, you don't need to scream. We already know." As 2D got off of Noodle, she glared at him, then stuck her tongue out.

"I'm gonna get you for this." Aries was almost worried, but somehow he could tell she really didn't have any anger towards the blue-haired man who had just tortured her.

"I know love. You..." He was cut off by the sound of Murdoc yelling for him. Quickly his cheerful expression vanished, and suddenly there was a pill bottle in his hand, which was followed up by a small gulp as he swallowed two into his mouth.

"I'll talk to you mates in a bit." With that, he walked off. As he disappeared, a frown instantly made its way onto her face.

"Muds is going to hurt him, isn't he?"Aries asked even though he was pretty sure he knew the answer.

"Hai, more than likely Aries-kun." Noodle sighed, and Aries hugged her.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to make him feel better." Aries grinned excitedly.

"What do you have going on in your head?"He looked right into her eyes.

"What does he like more than anything?"

"Oh, that's easy. Zombies," she replied without hesitation. Just like that, his excited smile disappeared, replaced by an expression of pure disbelief.

"Really? Out of all the things he could choose to like in the world, he likes creepy, undead, brain eating zombies?"Noodle smiled at his reaction.

"You know, not all of them eat brains. Some just beat you up, others eat all of you." This time Noodle bust out laughing as Aries' brown skin almost went completely white when he heard that. Suddenly, he pulled himself together and Noodle watched him curiously.

"No, I'm not gonna chicken out. I said I would cheer up 2D, and I am not gonna let a bunch of stupid zombies stop me from doing it." His eyes glowed with determination, then widened suddenly.

"Wait a second. We don't need those zombies! Hey big sis, can you take me to the kitchen?" As he expected, she beamed at her new title and quickly dragged him toward their eating area. All the while, a plan began taking form in his head.

_**Okay, the real story starts here. Next up, Root beer's great idea!**_

_**P.S.- To those who reviewed, thank you so much. To any who are planning to, could you happen to tell me how old Noodle is when the Dare video was made? I know I can look it up, but I prefer to just ask. Anyway, until next time, Hasta!**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Okay peoples, here we go! Chapter Four.**_

_**Disclaimer: Oh come on, my anniversary is today! I'm not telling them you still don't own Gorillaz. Find someone else to do it today.**_

_**ME: Um, you kinda just did, but I was just gonna say Happy Anniversary!**_

_**Disclaimer: Oh wow, I really appreciate that! I'm surprised you remember.**_

_**ME: No problem. Hey, isn't that your husband in that cop car?**_

_**Disclaimer: Son of a -, not again! (Wondering what happened? Stay tuned.)**_

Once in the kitchen, Aries began rummaging around, pulling out random spices and lots of instant coffee. Then he ran to the room he woke up in. Noodle ran behind him, carrying everything in a brown paper bag. He pulled out a couple of shoes that obviously had belonged to 2D. Then he ran back into the kitchen, grabbing every red cup he could find, then he found a nail gun lying around. After spending almost five minutes convincing Noodle to let him use it, they finally added it to the bag. Every five minutes or so, he'd remember something he'd want in another room and take off in that direction. By the end of it, he almost knew Kong by heart.

"Are we ready now," Noodle asked as Aries finally came to a stop. She was surprised that she actually needed to catch her breath after trying to keep up with him. Never had she expected that someone so much smaller than her would be so hard to keep track of.

"Almost. I just need three more things." With that, he shot off into the kitchen, where Russell was making a burger on an indoor grill. As he saw Aries run in there and grab the red dye, a large mixing bowl and a large mixing spoon., he grabbed him and lifted him into the air.

"Hey kid, what are you doing here still? And why are you raiding my kitchen?" Aries wasn't so scared of the giant anymore so he just smiled.

"Russel, I think you should know, my name isn't kid. You can call me Root beer." Just then Noodle ran in, then collapsed against the wall.

"Oh, Russel-sama, you caught him. Aries-kun, please tell me that you are done." Russell looked at Noodle, then at Aries, then back at Noodle.

"Okay, I think someone needs to explain what is going on here. And I thought you said your name was Root beer." He was kind of hoping Noodle would, but she was still catching her breath. Aries happily picked up for her, retelling his whole escape from the Skull's gang, to which even Noodle listened, only catching the end of that battle herself. Both of them developed a little bit more admiration for him after that. When he spoke of his events from just that morning, Russel laughed as he finally started to understand why Murdoc was so annoyed by this kid, and when he got to the part about Noodle in the shower, Russel actually dropped him because he was laughing so hard. Finally, when he mentioned the plan to make 2D's life a little better, Russel decided he liked him, and even offered to help.

"Oh yeah, and my real name is Aries Wolfblood. What do you get when you take the first letter of each one," he asked Russel.

"You get A & W. Oh, I get! That's clever. Okay, so what do we do now, Root beer?" Aries smiled, his red and black eyes practically glowing. Out of the bag emerged two large high powered water guns. If it weren't for the bright colors, the scene would actually look scary.

"We turn ourselves into zombies!" They dumped the spices out, and Russel removed the ones that were too important to use, or that would burn their skin. The rest they dumped in the mixing bowl and added water. After mixing it into some bizarre brown concoction, they submerged the water guns into the liquid. Noodle and Russel disappeared to go put on something more suitable while Aries put on a shirt once owned by 2D, but that Noodle said he wouldn't mind giving up. Noodle made it back first, her hair stuffed under a shower cap so it wouldn't get touched. Aries passed her a water gun and motioned for her to hide somewhere while waiting for Russel. When his footsteps finally could be heard, he whispered to Noodle.

"Okay, we attack on the count of three." Russel emerged through the door. He saw Aries leaning against the door frame, but saw no sign of Noodle.

"Geez, why do girls always take so long to change? She did this at the last concert too." Aries' eyebrows went up in surprise.

"You guys went to a concert?" Russel eyes widened a bit as he laughed.

"Went to one? We were the reason they even had the concert!" Aries' jaw dropped right there.

"So wait, you guys are famous?" Russel nodded, then noticed the guns were missing.

"Hey, what'd you do with the other-" He was cut off by a loud shout from the hyperactive kid.

"THREE!" Noodle popped out of her hiding place and soaked Russel's side while Aries covered the front. Russel never even had a chance to react before he was an array of browns. The guns were still half full by the time it was over. When he finally recovered, he couldn't do anything but laugh. Aries and Noodle were doing a celebration/victory dance before they noticed that Aries' gun was right next to Russel. At the same time, Russel noticed it as well. Aries dived for it, but missed. Suddenly, he found himself at the ends of both water guns. When Noodle and Russel fired, he ducked down and they ended up hitting each other.

"Aries! That wasn't fair," complained Noodle. He laughed as he got up, but then he slipped on the wet floor, and went flying into the table. Suddenly, the mixing bowl fell on top of him, and he was soaked from head to toe. Noodle and Russel laughed so hard they couldn't breathe.

"So you think this is funny, huh? Well, why don't you try it out." With that he stole Noodle's gun and blasted her while she was on the floor laughing. She let out a high pitched squeak as the cold water caught her off guard. Now it was Russel and Aries that were laughing. Noodle's face turned pink and she lightly shoved Aries.

"Shut up," she said, giggling slightly despite herself. The eight year old completely ignored her as he leaned against Russel, tears streaming down his face.

"Did you hear that? Oh man, that was hilarious!" Russel nodded his agreement, mentioning that he wished he had a camera. Noodle made a "hmph" noise and turned her backs to them.

"Oh come on sis. Don't be like that. We were just having fun. Come on, give us a smile." She shook her head. Not giving up, he ran to where she was facing.

"Come on. Just a small, whoa!" Again he slipped and fell on his butt. Noodle couldn't fight it, she laughed. Normally he would've gotten mad, but he was content she wasn't angry anymore.

"Hey, we better get back to work. 2D and Muds will be done soon." Quickly, they used coffee and flour to darken or lighten the colors in different areas, and then used the dye to further enhance the appearance. When they were done, they looked as if they could hang with the zombies outside. Noodle put on a matted wig to hide the fact that it was her, and Aries' was hanging down with the weight of the liquid. Aries and Russel had weird enough eyes to pass, and Noodle's hair covered hers, so they were now finished. Grabbing the cups and the nail gun, they covered all the lights so that Kong had an eerie red glow in all the hallways. Russel had to lock one door, mentioning a hell hole as he turned the key. Once, that was done with, they sat outside the soundproof recording studio and practiced their walks. Noodle learned hers very quickly, copying the zombies outside, while Aries had to copy her. With the slight limp he had from the last fall, he actually looked like he was fresh from the grave. Now all they had to do was wait.

While they patiently waited for the end of 2D's practice, Noodle and Russel told Aries all sorts of stories about the Gorillaz; from Murdoc kidnapping 2D to Noodle knocking out zombie gorillas. The young boy just absorbed all of it with amazement permanently etched on his face. Finally the door handle turned, and they ran to their positions.

"For Hell's sake Dullard, if you try that again, you will regret it." Just then, Noodle and Russel started their zombie moaning. Aries was supposed to do the same, but he went with a different idea after hearing him threaten 2D. In the creepiest voice ever to come out of an eight year old since, he moaned, "Murdoc, give us your soul." Everyone's hearts stopped temporarily as the voice reached their ears. Noodle almost went to check to see if they needed to do an exorcism, but then she saw he was really concentrating on making it believable.

"No, wait! I still have more time left! I don't have to give it up yet. You're here too early!" He was beginning to hyperventilate. Aries was more than surprised to hear that Murdoc had actually sold his soul, but he stayed in character.

"By abusing 2D, you have sped up the date. The undead are coming to feast on your flesh. After they consume you, your soul will be ours." Russel began banging on the only other door to enter the studio. Murdoc ran out of the one he had open, and ran right towards Noodle. He gave an almost girly shriek and headed the other direction. Aries materialized out of a shadowy doorway and tripped Murdoc. Crawling now, he turned to see Aries' eyes burning into his. He gave a growl that did not sound human at all, and probably for the first time since he formed the band, Murdoc was afraid to the point of pissing himself. He ran into his room and locked the door, not daring to come back out. The littlest zombie turned to find 2D standing there, eyes wide open.

"Surprise!" 2D almost fell over from shock when the squeaky voice that eight year olds normally have came out of the undead monster standing in the hallway.

"So, how did we do? Were we good zombies?" Suddenly 2D understood everything and laughed.

"Teh best zombies eva. Way betta than me zombie movies." Aries beamed happily at 2D's praise. 2D reached into his pocket and pulled out a phone. Gathering everyone in the hallway, he took a picture of the trio. Afterward, they cleaned themselves and the hallways, and finally the kitchen. After becoming one, Aries lost some of his fear for zombies, and so as they watched a video with 2D, he was fine. Noodle had liked his hair hanging down, so while the movie played, she gave him braids that hung down the side of his face. That night, he went to bed happy.

While he was getting comfortable, a pair of hands forcibly dragged him out of his bed. He looked up to see Murdoc with a smug grin on his face.

"So you think you can make a fool out of me, eh? Well, let me show you what happens when you mess wit Murdoc Niccols." He dragged him into the hallway.

"Dude, can't you take a joke? We were having fun. It's not our fault you fell for it." Murdoc said nothing, just turned a corner into a hallway Aries recognized. They avoided it because of the door that Russel locked. Then he thought about why he had locked it, and Aries' eyes widened.

"Noodle! Russel! 2D! Help me! NOODLE!" Two hallways away, Noodle's eyes flashed open and she shot out of bed. Running towards the source of the yelling, she saw the door Russel had locked was open and she ran in just as Murdoc shoved Root beer into the hellhole. The last thing both of them saw before the boy disappeared was each others' faces, both reflecting the horror they felt.

_**Well, I hope you enjoyed reading this story. Feel free to review! **_


	5. Chapter 5

_**2D- Hey, Innamra let me and Noods take over dis time.**_

_**Noodle- Ohayo! Innamra-kun got arrested for beating up a police officer.**_

_**(Storms in and glares at 2D and Noodle)**_

_**Me- You weren't supposed to say anything!**_

_**Noodle- But what about you not owning Three Days Grace. And not owning Gorillaz?**_

_**Murdoc- Damn straight he doesn't.**_

_**Root beer- YOU! (Gives Murdoc evil death glare and grabs katana)**_

_**Me- (Equally pissed off, grabs one too) Banzai!**_

_**Murdoc- AAAH! (Senses doom and runs)**_

_**Russel- I'll get 'em. Until we sort this out, enjoy the chapter**_

-Four Months Later-

Noodle was as depressed as 2D, if such a thing was possible. Murdoc wasn't very happy about that, considering her music was growing kind of off. To make matters worse, 2D, too concerned about her to concentrate on singing, wasn't at his full 100% either. Russel was still doing okay, but that was probably because he imagined Murdoc's face on the drums for making his "baby girl" cry.

Murdoc himself, he was just confused. He didn't see why Noodle should care so much. The little brat hadn't even been there a whole 24 hours. How was she this attached to him? For his part, Murdoc really didn't want to hurt Noodle, and tried everything he could think of to appease her. He took her shopping, brought in fans to meet her. He even went out a grabbed a random kid to replace Root beer. That just made things worse because the kid was a complete brat who annoyed Noodle to the point of insanity. Then his banshee of a mother came screaming from half a mile away. Of course, Murdoc being who he was, yelled back at her and sent her off via a door to the face. Not even twenty minutes later, her husband came and beat the crap out of Muds, though to be fair, he should have left it alone. The zombies were especially aggressive that night.

The actual reasons Noodle found it impossible to get over Root beer were that he had called her big sister, and she hadn't really got a chance to be one. The closest thing to relate would be a woman who wants to be a mother. She gets to babysit for a weekend and she feels as if all in the world is right. Then, once the weekend is over, she realizes once again that she has no kid of her own, and breaks down. That would be Noodle's condition right now. The second reason is that face. His face as he fell into the hole had been haunting her for weeks. Every time she fell asleep, that was what she had to deal with. Even sleeping in 2D's room, which she still did when she had nightmares, only made it slightly better. Lately, she just took to not going to sleep. It was on one such night that she found herself randomly walking the halls of Kong. A certain song suddenly made its way into her head, a song that she really wanted to turn off, but found herself unable too.

_I never thought I'd feel this, guilty and I'm broken down inside_

_Living with myself, nothing but lies_

_I always thought I'd make it, but never knew I'd let it get so bad_

_Living with myself is all I have._

_I feel numb_

_I can't come to life_

_I feel like I'm frozen in time_

_Living in a world so cold, wasting away_

_Living in a shell with no soul, since you've gone away_

_Living in a world so cold, counting the days_

_Since you've gone away, you've gone away_

At about this point, she decided she couldn't deal with it and reached to turn it off, but then she realized she wasn't even wearing her earbuds. Now really confused, she began to search for the sound of the noise. After around twenty minutes of endless searching, she finally turned down a hallway and saw a shock of blue hair disappear around a corner. She gave a small smirk and went to talk to 2D when she realized that wasn't the only voice she heard. A young girl's voice had blended with his, though it was much quieter.

For some strange reason, a mixture of feelings came bubbling up in Noodle. There were feelings of suspicion, a dash of anger, a slight hint of understanding. The two most prominent ones were curiosity and, surprisingly to Noodle, jealousy. The last made her very uncomfortable. It wasn't like 2D hadn't had girlfriends before, she was friends with one of them, so why did she feel like this? Pushing aside her thoughts, she headed in the direction of the still singing pair. After going around the corner, she realized they were headed outside. Now she was very intrigued. 2D she could see, but what girl could possibly not have a problem going out among the zombies?

Suddenly, the song ended, and the pair stopped by the gates. Noodle, staying low and out of sight, got as close as she could without giving herself away. Now that she could see the girl, she was a little surprised. They had to be about the same age. She had long black hair that reached to her midsection, and her long bangs covered her face so you couldn't see her eyes. Noodle felt a pain in her chest as she saw that she had the same smooth, brown skin as Aries.

"Hey 2D, you're right. It's not as bad out here at night when you're singing. Anyway, thanks for not telling." 2D smiled with his trademark grin, then frowned.

"You're gonna tell Noodle soon right? I don like keepin' secrets from her." The girl sighed, but nodded.

"I really don't have a choice, do I? Of course, I didn't mean for you to find out either, but you did manage catch me." Suddenly the girl looked up with alertness.

Not even a full eight feet away, Noodle silently cursed to herself. She was trying to back away when her foot landed on a stick, which promptly released a snap that echoed through the night air. The girl would not stop looking in that direction, so Noodle did what any person would have done. She stepped out of the shadow into the moonlight where they could see her.

"Well 2D, looks like you won't have to worry about keeping secrets after all. She's already here." Noodle watched the other girl closely.

"Who are you," she asked, her voice containing just a hint of anger.

"Well, let me put It this way." She gave a mischievous smile and looked at Noodle. "Hello again big sis."

Noodles eyes narrowed when she heard the statement. She glared at her until she realized something important about that grin. That grin, the same one that came over a certain zombie's face right after Murdoc was sent running to his room. Her eyes widened to the point you could actually see the green in them, and her mouth was hanging open in shock.

"No, it can't be. A-Aries-kun?" The girl nodded.

"But how?" The grin suddenly faded.

"I'm not really sure, but we are gonna have a really long talk ."

_**Okay, well that's it for this chapter. Sorry about the delay and the shortness of the chapter, but school has been very stressful, and I couldn't work on this like I wanted. To go ahead and settle this now, Aries will not be dating any guys during this period, so don't expect any of that. Anyway, that's all I'm gonna say for now. Until next time, Ja Nae!**_


	6. Chapter 6

Three persons sat in 2D's room, one at the head and the other two at the foot of his bed. For a while it was quiet, then the one at the head of the bed took a deep breath and began to speak.

"Okay so I'm assuming both of you already know what happened?" There was a pause as Aries waited for an answer. It was more so a question directed at 2D, considering Noodle was there when the event occurred. Both people nodded, waiting for the girl to continue.

"Well, after _**Murdoc**_ threw me into that hole, I found myself in a dark place. There were lots of people screaming and plenty of crying." After she had spat out the name Murdoc, her eyes gained a haunted look. Noodle also noted that blood was leaking from Aries' clenched fists, but she kept quiet.

"Quickly I found out why people were so miserable. It was pure hell in that hole. Maybe it wasn't hot every hour of the day, but that didn't make things any easier. I was safe until one of these...demons saw me just watching. I hadn't done anything to it, but it still came after me. At first I was going to fight it, but then its claws popped out. I couldn't even run before they went in my chest. It ripped me apart, but for some reason, I just wouldn't die. It kept doing it over and over again, until my screams bored it I guess." Noodle's eyes widened at the direction the story had gone. She could practically see the eight year old in her mind, and she didn't enjoy the picture at all. Beside her 2D had more emotions playing on his face in that moment then he usually showed in his entire life.

"Needless to say, my body was destroyed beyond recognition. After it left, I came across a new demon. I think it was her first day, I don't know. Anyway, she didn't like the whole idea of torture, so she decided to help me by showing me the way out. Even though my body was destroyed, I could still move. I'm guessing it was my soul that was moving. Anyway, once we got there, we realized that I couldn't really do anything in this world without a body, so she used some sort of weird magic to restore my body, or at least that's what she said she tried to do. Right before she shoved me through the hole, she let some things slip. I found out she was a witch, not a demon. I also found out her name was Harmony. I guess everyone there isn't exactly evil."

She let her audience's brains catch up when she heard a ruffling sound outside the door. Quickly she got up, briefly startling 2D and Noodle, and walked to the door. Outside she found Russel, and to her surprise, he was crying. Not knowing what else to do, she hugged him. He was a little confused why she was comforting him after what she had been through, but he didn't stop her. Soon, she pulled back and held out her hand, which he promptly took, and led him into the room.

"So, how much of that did you hear?" Russel saw in her eyes that she really didn't want to have to tell the story all over again, so he decided to save her the trouble and just ask Noodle for the details later.

"Pretty much the whole thing," he said as he shrugged with nonchalance. Aries seemed to sense that he was lying, but she didn't press him about it.

"Okay, anyway, after I climbed out of the hole, I realized that when she restored my body, she hadn't given me any clothes. I ran to the closest store and grabbed this. Now, before you try and scold me, I was desperate. It's not like I had any money after coming back from hell."

"So why didn't you come right back here? We could have given you some of baby girl's clothes." She shook her head.

"How would you react if some naked stranger came here in the middle of the night asking for one of the Gorillaz? Especially considering that I'd be asking for Noodle in particular." Russel seemed to pale a bit as he reconsidered his statement.

"Yeah, I see. Plus, if it was Muds, it'd be really uncomfortable." Aries turned green at the very mention of seeing his leering face after seeing her in her present condition. Sensing what she was thinking, Noodle did a very convincing imitation of a unripe banana.

"Speakin' o Murdoc, wha are we goin ta tell him?" Everyone turned to 2D with a surprised expression. They really hadn't considered that. Suddenly an evil chuckling began to emit from Aries' spot on the bed. The expressions suddenly went from surprised to horrified. Aries had suddenly been outlined in flame and some of said flame was shooting up out of her hands. What she said next sent chills down everyone's spines.

"Yeah, let's go say hi to Murdoc." 2D ran away screaming as his bed was suddenly ablaze in hellfire.

"Or, we could wait until tomorrow morning when you've had a chance to rest," suggested Russel. In all actuality, he would have preferred she never see Murdoc. Sure he could be a prick, but if her smile was indication, even he didn't deserve the welcome Aries was planning.

_Hey people, sorry about the delay. What can I say, when life gives you lemons, you smash each lemon to bits and force life to reconsider its decision. Seriously though, I've been wanting to get back to working on this for a while, but with volunteer hours for school and prepping for senior year and my own trilogy, plus the special cases fate has thrown at me, I just wasn't able to. Even now I managed to find a the ultra rare free moment, but it's not guaranteed that I'll keep getting this lucky. Sorry, but I promise you I'm doing things the best I know how._


	7. Chapter 7

"Oi Murdoc! Hurry up and leave while you still can!" The green skinned man turned around, then looked at his bottle. Maybe he had gotten a bad brew, because for a second it sounded like not only had 2D stopped avoiding him, but he also had the nerve to order him around. Looking back up, he was met with the sight of an empty hallway. With a sigh of relief, he threw the bottle into a wall and headed to the kitchen to get an untainted drink.

He smiled to hisself as he reached the kitchen and found it to be empty. That meant that everyone was sleep, which meant he wouldn't have to hear any complaining about the lovely time he had last night with...what was her name again? It was something with a D. Dani? Donna? Dana? Yes, that was it. Dana. He chuckled to himself in remembrance as he grabbed two wine bottles off the bottle rack. She was a right piece of work, but she was much more beautiful than all the other girls he had been with. And he had been with PLENTY of girls. Still, she intrigued him. After all, she was the only girl who he had brought over that he hadn't slept with. It irked him a little, but that was okay. All that meant was that it would be so much more satisfying when it did happen. And it would happen.

A sudden banging sound caused him to turn around. A strange girl, obviously still half sleep, had walked straight to the fridge while completely ignoring him. He looked on mildly surprised. 2D hadn't had a girl over in quite a while, and this one was right cute. Not as good as Dana, but she wasn't too far off. As she drew up to her full height to rummage around in the freezer, Murdoc almost gasped. This girl was still the same age as Noodle. Had he finally lost his bloody sanity? The negative publicity that would result from this should the media find out would set the Gorillaz back for months. Immediately he began developing different stories in his head to maintain their image. 2D's adopted daughter? Nah, too unlikely. 2D's adopted little sister? More likely than the first idea, but still not good enough. Prospective band member? Better, but if she couldn't do anything, that story would be sunk. And if they did anything in public, that definitely would make things worse. College student? No, college intern. That could work. If she did her hair up, Murdoc was sure she would look around nineteen. A bit young, but not young enough for there to be problems. Well, other than the enraged females who considered themselves 2D's future wife. They would be sure to go after the girl, but then again, that was normal. Satisfied with his cover up, he looked up just as she left through the doors. He caught a glimpse of her face as she walked out, and for the third time that morning, Murdoc found himself surprised. He was sure that what he had just seen was impossible. The girl was still sleep. That would mean she had at least minimal knowledge of the place, but that would mean she had been here for a while. That just couldn't be possible. Murdoc would have noticed her beforehand. Running out to get another look at the girl, he was disappointed to find that she wasn't visible anymore, and he didn't know which way to go to start looking for her. Suddenly annoyed with this morning, Murdoc went back to his room, to Dana and his beloved bass.

**Page Break**

Early that morning, Noodle had gotten up to go to the bathroom while Aries lay asleep next to her. As she walked back, she reflected on the night's events. She still didn't know how to feel about her return. She was glad to have him, no her, back. Or would it still be him, just in a girl's body? She blushed at the possible problems that could arise if that was the case. She didn't entirely know how, but she could just sense that this was not the same sweet, innocent eight year old Aries she had known, which was also one of the reasons she was confused in her feelings. What would Aries be like now? She seemed okay until the subject of Murdoc was brought up. Noodle supposed she couldn't really blame her, but still, it proved just how dangerous she could be. Who else had the power to use the flames of hell without being a demon? Suddenly, she heard the sound of Murdoc chuckling in the kitchen. She was about to warn him to avoid the new girl for a while when she noticed that he had grown quiet. Moments afterwards, Aries walked out with a pop-tart in her mouth. Noodle immediately grabbed her and was about to interrogate her about killing Murdoc when she noticed that her eyes were glazed over as if she were...asleep. Sighing in relief, Noodle let go of her and watched as she walked off towards the bedroom. Outside in the hallway, she heard the very much alive and irritated Murdoc walk off to his room. As she followed in Aries' direction, she began to realize that as annoying as he was, she cared for Murdoc. The Gorillaz just wouldn't be complete without him, as he loved to remind them. Still, he could do without hitting 2D every time something bugged him or he got bored.

She walked into the girls' room and saw Aries sitting up on the edge of the bed, stretching as if waking for the first time, which technically she was.

"Ohayo nee-sama!" Noodle stared at her wide-eyed. Since when could she speak Japanese? And why was she being so formal? Noodle's feelings were actually hurt.

"Ohayo Root beer. Just call me nee-chan okay?" She nodded, then smiled.

"Hey, you called me Root beer again," the girl sang happily. Under her bangs, Noodle raised an eyebrow.

"Well, it seemed to fit better than Aries. That seems like a boy's name. Anyway, how'd you sleep?"

"Not too bad. You know considering its only been a couple days, I feel like I haven't been able to sleep in forever." This time Noodle faced her, confusion evident on her face.

"A couple of days," Noodle said in disbelief.

"Well, I prefer it like that than saying I spent a week in hell," she responded defensively.

"Um, imouto, I don't know how to tell you this, but you've been gone longer than a week," Noodle said cautiously. Root beer grabbed her shoulders so fast that before she had a chance to stop herself, Noodle flipped her over her back. Unfortunately Root beer's instincts also kicked in, causing her to twist so Noodle's balance was lost and they both fell. Noodle held her nose as Root beer rubbed the back of her head where a knot was already forming.

"Hehe, sorry about that." Noodle waved away the apology, actually impressed.

"That was pretty good. You know, if you got some practice, you might actually be able to match me." Root beer instantly brightened up.

"Will you teach me," she pleaded. Noodle shrugged her acceptance, resulting in her being hugged harder than she remembered, even while living around Russel. A tap echoed from the door. They both jumped up and ran to find none other than Russel standing in front of the door.

"Hey you two, breakfast is ready. By the way, someone is looking for you Aries. They say you're their little brother or something like that. They'll be over today. Also, we have to get you ready for school, so be prepared by at least next week," he said before leaving.

"Little brother," Noodle asked sadly, wondering if they were going to take her away after she had just came back.

"What? School!" Root beer passed out, leaving a surprised Noodle to wake her up again.


	8. Chapter 8

Twenty minutes or so after she had waken up, Root beer was sitting at the dining table eating four stacks of pancakes.

"Remind me, where do you put it all," a green eyed girl asked warily, getting tired just watching her.

"The same place you put yours, just with more room," she responded. A few occupants just raised an eyebrow, then decided it wasn't really worth debating. As she dug in, a silence spread across the room. She looked up, cheeks still bulging.

"'Ey guys, wassup," she asked, looking towards the doorway. Then, she froze, and the big kitchen suddenly seemed too small.

"Murdoc," she said icily. 2D edged towards the door, but Murdoc grabbed him.

"Oi, Faceache, where do you think you're going. Didn't I tell you practice was at eight?" 2D paled slightly, slyly slipping some pills into his mouth.

"But I was 'aving breakfast," he protested.

"Having breakfast! D'you think I care about you stuffing your face? I'm trying to make us richer," he yelled as he punched 2D on the top of his head. He looked up to see the girl from earlier that morning glaring chainsaws at him. "And while we are here, who is this?"

Noodle opened her mouth to respond, but Root beer answered quicker.

"Oh, I'm nobody important. I'm just a person who has gone many places. It's not widely known, but when it comes to exploring, I've been places most people don't leave from. Tell you what though, you look smart. Guess who I am in three tries, and I won't burn your balls off. I'll give you a hint though. It's related to fire." Murdoc looked like he was about to argue, but decided to entertain this game as he realized she was insulting him.

"Alright! What about Pyro?" She looked at him as if he had said something completely moronic.

"No, you idiot!" He raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, how about Leo?"

"Closer, but still wrong." As she spoke, he noticed waves of heat radiating off of her body. Suddenly understanding she might not have been kidding, he covered his crotch as he gave the final answer.

"What about Aries," he nearly squeaked. She gave him a smile, and suddenly he knew he was right. Unfortunately, that smile she was giving him wasn't making him feel very safe. Then it clicked.

"You, you are the kid that I shoved down the hellhole. But, how did you get back out? And how are you a teenage girl?" The smile widened, and though she was now covered in flame, the temperature in the room seemed to have dropped down a few dozen degrees.

"Wouldn't you like to know. By the way, my name is Root beer now. However, let me give you a message from Aries." She aimed her hand towards his middle, causing him to curl up in further efforts to protect his privates. "Did you know that hellfire doesn't actually scar you, it just burns like hell? Really. Here, let me show you." And with that, she launched the ball of flame towards his face. As it sped toward him, he realized he had been tricked.

"You said you wouldn't burn me if I got your name right," he screamed before taking the fire in the face.

"No, I said I wouldn't burn your balls off. I never said I wasn't going to hurt you." With that, she walked to the door as he rolled around in pain. As she reached the door, she cocked her head to the side as if she was considering something. Seemingly coming to a conclusion, she walked back, kicked him square in his nuts, then walked out the room, leaving everyone gathered in the kitchen to thank whatever savior was around that they weren't Murdoc.

**Page Break**

Not even thirty seconds after she had left Murdoc in prolonged burning pain did Root beer hear a knock at the door. Guessing it was her guest, she walked to the door, where there was a sudden shriek that echoed throughout the building. Everyone (excluding Murdoc who couldn't get off the floor) ran to the front of the building to see Root beer hugging a strangely dressed girl.

"Harmony, how'd you get here?" The girl smiled.

"Well, as you were leaving, it didn't hit me until then. I actually found a path out of that hell. I would have to be a complete idiot not to take that kind of opportunity. So, here I am! By the way sorry about the whole becoming a girl thing. I am still new to the whole concept of reconstructing bodies." At just that moment, an extra loud scream came from Murdoc. Harmony looked straight at Root beer, an amused yet accusing expression on her face. Root beer returned it with a somewhat guilty, yet satisfied expression of her own.

"My, someone has been a naughty girl. I guess from the intensity that you ave hellfire ingrained in your DNA, and you used it on him."

"Maybe, but I didn't know bout the DNA part. I don't actually know what DNA is." Harmony sighed. Looking at Russel, she asked one question.

"You are going to fix this right?" He just nodded.

Good. Let me go turn off the flames then before his mind cracks. He's probably..." Her voice

trailed off as she saw 2D. She stared at him for a moment, unconsciously blushing furiously. Noodle quickly brought her back to reality.

"Don't you have a burning man to save?" Shaking herself out the daze she was in, Harmony blushed even harder.

"Right, let me get right on that." She disappeared through the kitchen door. Shortly after, the screaming stopped, then there was a loud smack, immediately followed by lots of cursing. An angry witch stormed out, pausing at the door to leave one final message.

"I'll be checking in from time to time to see how you are doing Root beer, and see if we can't change you back." She paused as she looked at 2D. "I'll try to be sure to come back as quick as I can." With that she left, completely unaware of the very dirty look the Axe Princess was giving her back.

They all sat in silence until a cursing Murdoc stormed out of the kitchen, a large red handprint shining brilliantly on his face.


End file.
